The Revolutionary Review by Jonas Clark

Hi,
I’m just writing a long article about life and economy seen from a leek’s perspective.
I never studied economy, and all I know is what I read and see on the news and internet.
I’m not very busy with the economy and I might be off here and there on some statistics.
If it be any help,I’d like to write you about my experiences in Belgium and the economy over there,compared to USA and what I see here.
Again, perhaps some things might be a little one-sided, since I only write from my perspective,and the news I hear and see.
Its a very long answer but I hope it will benefit some of you today!
Cheers, and enjoy reading!
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In Belgium now for 4 years, they are trying to pay a near to 3trillion dollar debt, by increasing taxes.

You have to understand that 3 trillion dollars for the 12million people living there is on average a debt of two hundred fifty thousand per person;larger then America.
Though in Belgium,people are savers. They spend less then here.

Paying back Belgian national debt by:
1- the increase of income tax
2- the lengthening of active duty (delay of pensions until 65 now and 67 in about 3 years.
3- The allowance of Euthanasia (getting rid of those deemed worthless and 5th wheels of a car)
4- Lowering of pensions and funds.
5- Raising the tickets of traffic violations,reaching to ‘zero-tolerance’ in traffic.
6- Due to the jails being overfull, criminal’s sentence will be reduced (to cut on non-productive cost)
7- Export of illegals and criminals
8- Opening the borders to other countries, making other countries pay to join the European Union.

Almost each of the above stated points prove to be a decision in the wrong direction.
In each of the 8 points we can easily understand why they are there, or intended to be there.
However it’s much harder to see the other side, the results of the laws being in operation.
As an ex-citizen of Belgium I’ve noted the following influences entered as soon as the laws where taken in order:

1- The increase on income tax, had left people with less money. People searched for cheaper products and ways to save more money. As a result lots of products and goods where imported from Asia and west European nations (cheaper labor force) which often where 30% cheaper despite the added shipping and handling costs and added taxes.
Businesses tried to save on personnel cost, and apart from no longer being able to hire extra personnel, sometimes they went out of business, declaring bankrupcy.
In 2008, Belgium a country slightly around the size of Miami Dade and Broward county, over 1500 bankruptcies where filed in in 2007, perhaps even more in 2008.
Amongst those going bankrupt in the past decade where multiple small businesses as well as larger and more known ones like Fortis bank, Sabena,and ‘Lernout & Hauspie’ with several thousands of people working there.
As far as I could understand the Belgian government did bailout Sabena and Fortis with several Million/billion dollars adding to their current debt.
Due to the slowing of the Economy many lost jobs and it became harder for people to find jobs; making the market a ‘strongest survives’ market, where several individuals where being pushed out due to not having certain high gifts or qualities.
Getting a job is through agencies that will scan people to see if their profile matches demands of the customer (the company that hires the personnel).
Lawful trials on personnel should last upto 3 months but due to these agencies companies could hire people for years before finally accepting a certain individual. A lot of uncertainty for many people,makes some want to give up their search.
Several individuals had to wait for months before they received a reply of a company only to tell them their profile did not suffice.
Living of the government became a lifestyle, where it became just as hard to imagine going to work everyday as it is to some to imagine how it is to live off the government.
Due to less personnel being hired, and more people on the streets, the jobs became more hectic, and for many too stressful to do any after work activities.
Social life started suffering from it.
So not only did more companies close down, and the economy slowed down in Europe, but also the lifestyle of each individual became less enjoyable, more stressful resulting in more hospital cases due to stress and burnouts.

2- Needless to say that longer work means less enjoying of being old. On top of that many who’re losing jobs over the age of 50, will need to start over again on a low payed job equal to a wage of someone of 22 years of age.
Finding a job at the age of over 50 is less likely,and many fall into a pattern where they are forced into school to re-educate themselves in hopes for another job. (needless to say that there’s little motivation for people of 50 and older to re-educate themselves, just to work for another 5 to 10 years).

3- Often grandparents and elders are THE place to be for the grandchildren when there’s no school and the parents are out working.
Besides a child stays in the family,with people that you know, and the desire of (most) grandparents is (often) the best for their offspring and their offspring’s offspring.
A grand parent is a great replacement to parents, teaching a grandchild in the love they have learned to have for children in their life of educating their own.
Grandparents have gained wisdom parents have not (yet).
By allowing Euthanasia,many elders will remove their life in a dip,or dark season of their life,where they feel they’re no longer valued.
Children and grandchildren need to find a place in baby and children schools,where people don’t really personally can care for them,and where they’re stuck with another 20 of their own. A lot of the influences children get come from these schools. And while it’s good for children to be playing amongst themselves, a lot of negative influences are also learned in schools like that.
You can not expect one teacher over 10, 15 or 20 children to be able to give the same love as grandparents can to their one to three grandchildren.
At this rate generally only seniors suffering from illness are given the option of euthanasia; it would not surprise me if soon everyone who feels like it can (after agreement with a ‘doctor’) get a shot and sleep in. Often it’s the emptiness of their hearts dragging them into it!

There already have been abuses found of euthanasia, where seniors have been put to sleep for their inheritance.
Elders and seniors are vital to this generation to teach the lessons of life they gained throughout their life, to children and grandchildren, and to support their offspring in prayer before God!

4-Meaning appart from the inflation a $1000 pension per month might be ok now, but 10 years from now the life standard has changed much;though relatively pensions don’t rise as much as inflation does.
People are advised to start saving up for their own pensions through insurance or company savings (to set between 25 and $50 per month aside. The governement is funding and promoting these actions in large by subtracting between 20 and 30% of the money saved from your taxes.
At the end of a 40 year timeperiod of saving one should get about 60.000 Euro’s, or close to $100.000.
Much you may think, but we won’t know how much pension will be at that time, and how many years we’ll have to live from it.
$100.000 living 20 years means $5000 per year, or about $400 per month; not enough if the governement decides to totally stop giving pension (which is a possibility). Apart from losing money over inflation, and having to use your own money saved up over time (with interests), life will be more expensive.
It would not be surprising if 10-15 years from now,we’ll pay $8 per gallon on the gas station,and a common 2 person appartement would be over $1500 rent!

5- Many people are no longer able to save money, continuously being aware of the traffic. On average one could count on $50 per month on traffic jam tickets.
The standard for young and new drivers is been set so high that very few of them ever get through the driving examn the first time!
Driving examns generally cost between $1000 and $1600 depending on which plan one takes.
Zero tolerance means every error one makes, depending on the error one gets a penalty.
Driving 10miles per hour too fast on a 30mph road results in $100 fine (relative to the speed one is allowed to drive)!
Driving more then 25% too fast could lead in temporal or permanent removing of drivers licence.
Driving under influence (DUI) gets hard penalty as well,which is good, but not always… Too many rules decide wether you where DUI or not. One pint of beer could be enough for some!

6- Jailed people cost money. The jails build in Belgium stem from at least 30 years ago,and very few facilities have been updated.
Most have been through adding double beds in rooms, etc…
Jails in Belgium have not expanded like crime did,and often are overfull.
Due to lack of personnel (who often are harrassed in jails), people are easier released after being caught.
Theft could bring you in jail for a year or two, murder gives you 15 years and 15 years where you are able to integrate back to society.
Because of this crime keeps rising,and cost saved through releasing criminals earlier only gets back to them in double or triplefold when more crimes are being committed.
There’s a saying that says: “It’s not a crime to rob a bank;it’s to get caught doing so”.
With this mentality many do things outside of the law thinking they can get away with it, and in part they do,due to a not strong enough criminal justice system.

7- Another thing is criminals from other coutries will be sent back to their countries after being charged on the cost of the Belgian governement.
Criminals return to their countries where often a lack of criminal support is being found, and prisoners are released early, only to return with more companions.
This currently is being adressed by certain politicians and probably will have a part B to it.

8- Making other countries pay to join the European union also makes them share the common debt and wealth, a clever move!
Because of the opening of the borders, costs of boarder control (douane) are been saved, and some jobs lost.
On the negative side, lots of foreigners will enter into europe, and travel freely within, often supporting illegal activities like childprostitution, forced prostitution, or drugtraffic.
Also a lot of the poorer nations send people who go into richer countries to rob, and steal from people often going together with violence!
Not only that, but countries like Belgium,Netherlands, France and Germany, become centers of traffic going from north to south, east to west.
In Belgium alone,in the past 4 to 5 years there’s been an increase of traffic multiplefold!
I remember a time when one woke up at 6AM, one could hardly see a car on the streets; because most life started at 8.
Today around 6AM there already exsist traffic jams in the cities.
Smog signs are being planted certain times of the year where cars are forced to reduced speed (to reduce CO exhaust and gasses).

The increase of taxes is one great showstopper of the economy, and has done little to pay back national debt.
Instead the Economy in Belgium and Europe has gone down,just as USA economy has,though not due to the housing issue.
A lot of the Asian market has increased, while the Euro just dropped dead the past year. The Dollar also dropped, but relative to the Euro, the Dollar has increased in value and stands 0,7Eur today.

Great input! Currently Belgium’s debt to GDP is running aprox 88.7%. That’s way down from its high of 133.5% in 1983 due to those massive tax increases on the public as prodigit mentioned.

http://www.debtagency.be/en_data_public_finances.htm

In contrast the USA is projected to be around 86% in 2009. With all the upcoming bailouts it could reach far more. The problem is the collasping global economies. There are only so many ways a country can tax, fee, fine and steal from their citizens before cutting their socialist programs without a serious street revolution.

Jonas you may already know, but I just thought of posting this link:

http://www.recovery.gov/

That’s where you can find what the US government is doing with all that “stimulus” money.